Murder in the Mystery Suite (A Book Retreat Mystery) by Ellery Adams

Author:Ellery Adams [Adams, Ellery]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2014-08-05T04:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

The man in the sweatshirt raised his fist and knocked on the door. Jane watched, heart hammering in her chest, as he waited for Moira to answer. The man shifted impatiently, and then knocked again. This time, he used both fists.

Jane couldn’t move. She didn’t dare blink. The seconds stretched out and the rest of the world fell away. There was only the man on the screen. And then, there were three men. Jane saw a wink of metal as Sterling pressed something to the stranger’s neck. An instant later, he and Butterworth each grabbed one of the man’s arms and began pulling him toward the servants’ stairs. He struggled at first, twisting violently in an attempt to break free from their grasp, and then he abruptly stopped and slumped forward.

“What happened?” Jane asked. “He looks drunk.”

“That’s precisely the image that we’re trying to convey,” Sinclair said. “Mr. Sterling injected our rabbit with an animal tranquilizer. It works in less than a minute and wears off without harmful or residual effects.”

Jane hid her face in her hands. “I can’t believe it. We’re copying the modus operandi of a fictional serial killer.”

“Are we?” Sinclair was nonplussed. “Which serial killer?”

“Dexter Morgan.”

Sinclair nodded. “Ah, yes. Jeff Lindsay’s disturbed vigilante. However, we were using this particular technique long before Mr. Lindsay’s first novel was published, my dear.”

The trio entered the stairwell and vanished from view.

“Where are they taking him?”

“To a room behind the bowling lanes.”

Jane thought of the narrow corridor behind the lanes. She’d been back there countless times in search of the twins. It was one of their favorite places to hide, hatch mischievous plots, or eat the macaroons or lemon cakes they’d filched from the kitchens. Despite the fact they’d been told over and over not to stretch out on their stomachs behind the triangle of pins in order to watch a bowling ball come hurtling down the lane, Fitz and Hem continued to claim that the dim and dusty pit area was another “Boys Only” zone. They had a half dozen such places around Storyton’s house and grounds, including a decrepit tree fort in the orchard, a cedar closet in the attic, a secret nook under the main stairs, an antique car on blocks in the garage, and so on.

“What room?” Jane asked. “The corridor behind the lanes?” She’d been back there most recently to examine the pin elevator on lane five, which kept jamming and was in need of repair.

“The mechanical closet at the end of that corridor leads to another space.”

Jane tried to mask her irritation. First thing tomorrow, after her archery lesson, she was going to speak with Uncle Aloysius about obtaining a copy of the real blueprints for Storyton Hall. This was supposed to be her home. Her ancestor built this manor, and it galled her that others knew more about its secrets than she did.

Sinclair must have guessed her thoughts for he gave her another paternal pat on the arm and said, “I know these revelations irk you, but you’ll be fully briefed tomorrow.

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